Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Amari Cooper
Getty
Amari Cooper catching a pass
Last season, the Buffalo Bills made a trade to acquire Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper. The 31-year-old appeared in eight games for Buffalo, recording 297 receiving yards and two scores.
Amari Cooper Didn’t Have a Great Season With The Bills
Cooper was supposed to come to the Bills and help change the offense. But he didn’t live up to the expectations. This offseason, Cooper became a free agent. Buffalo decided not to bring him back, signing veteran free agent receivers Josh Palmer, Elijah Moore, and Laviska Shenault Jr.
It didn’t make sense for Buffalo to agree to any deal with Cooper, considering his age and his performance last year. If he had shown better performances, then the team most likely would’ve brought him back.
Most of the NFL thought the same way as the Bills since no team tried to sign Cooper before training camp started. Cooper sat all summer as a free agent. But on Monday, his dream of playing his 11th NFL season came true.
Raiders Sign Cooper
The Las Vegas Raiders signed Cooper to a one-year deal. The Raiders drafted Cooper when they were still located in Oakland in 2015. He played in 52 games for the Raiders before being traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
Las Vegas needs to add wide receiving help since early in the day, veteran wideout Jakobi Meyers requested a trade. Meyers could’ve asked for a trade since he knew Cooper was signing and didn’t want to have to share targets with him.
It’s unlikely that Meyers will be traded, so he and Cooper will be on the field together. Las Vegas is in a critical year because it plays in the most complex division in football. The AFC West had three teams make the playoffs last season: the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and Denver Broncos.
The Raiders traded for Seattle Seahawks veteran quarterback Geno Smith and hired head coach Pete Carroll this offseason. The Raiders are trying the best they can to compete in a division where many have counted them out.
For the Bills, letting Cooper walk doesn’t seem like it will come back to haunt them. Even though the Raiders want to make the playoffs, they are probably still a year away. There likely won’t be any big games for Cooper in the postseason against the Bills that send Buffalo packing.
The Bills seem to be happy with the receivers they have on their roster. The team does have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Josh Allen, so he does make a receiver’s job a lot easier.
Buffalo doesn’t play the Raiders this season since the AFC East plays the AFC North, while the AFC South plays the West. The only chance the Bills will have of seeing Cooper is either in the playoffs or if he is released and heads to another team.